The present disclosure relates to an inkjet recording apparatus.
As image forming apparatuses, such as copiers and printers, inkjet recording apparatuses have been widely spread in recent years. Inkjet recording apparatuses can be classified into those of a serial type, in which recording is performed while a recording head is scanning across a recording medium such as a sheet, and those of a line-head type, in which recording is performed by a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body.
In order to continue high-quality recording with an inkjet recording apparatus, it is necessary to appropriately monitor clogging of ink ejection nozzles provided in a recording head. As a solution to this, in the field of inkjet recording apparatuses, a conventional technique is known in which a test chart constituted by a predetermined pattern image is recorded on a sheet and clogging of an ink ejection nozzle is found by detecting presence/absence of ink on the test chart.
An inkjet recording apparatus according to this conventional technique records a predetermined non-discharge detection pattern (a test chart) on a recording medium. The non-discharge detection pattern includes a dot-shaped pattern for specifying the identification number of a nozzle in a recording head, and a substantially line-shaped pattern for detecting non-discharge of each nozzle. By recording this non-discharge detection pattern on a recording medium, it is possible to detect non-discharge of all the nozzles in the recording head.